(Second in a series)

If one drops Robert Zaslow’s name into Google, the results are frightening. The entire first page of “hits” list numerous articles that contain scathing indictments of “attachment therapy”, “holding therapy”, “rage-reduction therapy”, and the diagnosis of RAD in general. Zaslow is oft mentioned as the “father of rage-reduction therapy.” It isn’t until the second page of Google hits that one finds a review (written by John A. Speyrer) of High Risk: Children Without A Conscience, by Dr. Ken Magid and Carole A.McKelvey. The book states:

In the past, psychotherapy, for both psychopaths and child anti-social types, has always failed. And yet, the author writes that a profound religious experience can sometimes reach these persons. For young children, the authors have much confidence in holding therapy. Discovered by Dr. Robert Zaslow in 1966, and initially called rage reduction therapy, holding therapy forces young children to become vulnerable and allows the unbonded child to access painful hidden emotions. A case history of such a child is given. High Risk concludes by saying that it will take a national effort to resolve all of the problems which are the result of raising generations of children without a conscience. (This resource was obtained from the Primal Psychotherapy Page.)

As Foster Cline and Russ Colburn discussed which patient to present to Zaslow, Foster suggested a young girl. She was an adolescent schizophrenic being treated by Foster at that time. During her early adolescent years this young lady became delusional. Foster began seeing her weekly on an outpatient basis, and then bi-weekly. Still, the girl’s mental health continued to deteriorate and she began burning her forehead with cigarettes. Foster hospitalized her in the Denver psych unit for 6 months with no improvement. When her insurance ran out for a private hospital, she was transferred to Fort Logan, a well-respected public psych hospital—but she didn’t do well there either. According to Foster, she was “still out of touch, burning her forehead, rocking, laughing, giggling and talking in her own language.”